PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN AN ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS … · understanding of future career (Ahmed,...
Transcript of PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN AN ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS … · understanding of future career (Ahmed,...
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN AN ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS
CLASSROOM
CHI DO NA
AN GIANG UNIVERSITY
INTRODUCTION
- The importance of English language
- The importance of being able to use
English for careers
⇒ English for Specific Purposes
ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
An ESP course:
• develops learners’ English language ability and other necessary skills
• provides learners with an understanding of future career
(Ahmed, 2014; Hutchinson & Waters, 1987)
CHALLENGES IN AN ESP COURSE • A learner-centered approach (Hutchinson and
Waters,1987) --- misunderstanding in the roles of teachers and learners
• Specialised knowledge (Basturkmen, 2010; Tudor,1997)
According to Nguyen and Pham (2016)
• Learning environment and materials
• Learning objectives
• Language proficiency
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING - Experiential learning, learning by doing
(Petersen &Nassaji, 2016; Fragoulis & Tsiplakides, 2009)
- A series of tasks with authentic situations or problems designed in an open-ended way (Foss et al, 2007)
- An incorporation of traditional “research” with more real-world, field-based interviews with experts (BIE, 2015)
BENEFITS
- An integration of skills for learners’ language and professional development (Petersen & Nassaji, 2016)
- Students’ interest and motivation (Legutke, 1993)
- Students’ independence
Essential elements of a project • Challenging problem or question • Sustained inquiry • Authenticity • Student voice and choice • Reflection • Critique and revision
(BIE, 2015)
QUESTIONS
1. What are EFL teachers’ and learners’ perceptions about PBL in ESP courses?
2. What are the difficulties that EFL teachers and learners face when using PBL in ESP courses?
3. What needs to be done to make a better use of PBL?
PARTICIPANTS
- 30 English-major students
3rd year
B2 level of language proficiency
- 3 Instructors
DATA COLLECTION
1. Projects - A business project (3 weeks - second
half of the course) - Presentations, marks, and feedback 2. Questionnaires - Perceptions on the use of projects - Difficulties - Suggestions
Descriptions of the projects
• Group projects (How to start business)
• Guidelines on key elements of a business project
• Student’s self-selection of topics
• Research, consultation, observation
SMART
• Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Relevant • Time bound
(Evaluating your project –
Flinders University, Australia)
What the students did
- An English language center - A flower shop - A restaurant - A tourist company - A fashion shop
Main points of students’ projects - Reasons for choosing the topics - What they needed to prepare before starting
their business (experience, budget, location, staff,…)
- Advertisements - Services and prices - Competitiveness - Profit - Challenges and Solutions
How could the students complete their projects? • The topics of interest
• Their experience
• Their intended future career path
• Their sources of information and supervision
• Their research
How to evaluate the projects
- Relevance of project topics - Required elements of a project - Feasiblility - Language use - Professional knowledge - Q&A
STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARD PROJECTS
Benefits (Students’ responses) Percentage 1. Much time to complete the projects 100%
2. Opportunities to get to know the business area of interest in depth
100%
3. Teamwork and collaboration 66%
4. Use of English for specific Business area
84%
5. Broader network and relationships 54%
6. Improve skills through oral presentations and written reports
81%
7. Not much pressure 84%
Benefits (Teachers’ responses) Percentage
1. Chances to work closely with students 100%
2. Opportunities for both teachers and learners to get to know different business areas
100%
3. Teachers’ and learners’ development in English language for Business
100%
4. Not much pressure for both teachers and learners
33%
5. Creating students’ interest in the course 100%
6. Supports for learners’ research, critical thinking, self-study skills
100%
CHALLENGES
• Specialised knowledge
• Elements of a business project
• Materials and supervision
• Assessment
SUGGESTIONS
• Foundations on specialised knowledge
• Appropriate materials (in English with appropriate levels)
• Workshops and speakers on how to carry out and evaluate projects
REFERENCES Ahmed, M. K. (2014). The ESP teacher: Issues, tasks and challenges. English for Specific
Purposes World, 42(15). Retrieved from http://www.esp-world.info/Articles_42/Documents/Ahmed.pdf
Basturkmen, H. (2010). Developing courses in English for Specific Purposes. Basingstoke: Macmillan
BIE. (2015). Gold standard PBL: Essential project design elements. Buck Institute of Education.
Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A learning-centered approach. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Legutke, M. (1993). Room to talk: Experiential learning in the foreign language classroom. Die Neueren Sprachen, 92(4), 306-331.
Nguyen, T. T. H, & Pham, T. T. M. (2016). Difficulties in teaching English for Specific Purposes: Empirical studies at Vietnamese universities. Higher Education Studies, 6(2), 154-161. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/hes.v6n2p154
Petersen, C., & Nassaji, H. (2016). Project-based learning through the eyes of teachers and students in adult EFL classrooms. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 72(1), 13-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.2096
Tudor, I. (1997). LSP or Language Education? In R. Howard & G. Brown. (Eds.), Teacher Education for LSP (pp. 90–102). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.